We went to see the cardiologist today. They did an echo-cardiogram (shown above) and she had a big weigh in (8lbs.3oz). He liked what he saw and said we don't have to come in for another month. They are decreasing her 3 times daily dose of diuretic to twice daily.
Our cardiologists are a group of 4 practitioners. We already knew that 1 went to BYU, but found out today that another one went to BYU as well. That's kind of fun.
Lastly, the doc said of Maisy, "Yeah, she looks like a rock-star. Keep it up." DBJ (don't be jealous)- I know we're all striving for rock-star status :) Anyway, we are so proud of her.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Sleeping contest
first runner-up
And the winner is...
Maisy! This little peanut decided to start sleeping 8-9 hour stretches at night, which beats what our other kids have been doing. I told Justin that I think I'm easily bribed on favorite child status :) Fine... we love them all. But it sure is nice to get a good night's rest. Last night they all slept great!
Friday, January 21, 2011
The big weigh in
The home health nurse came yesterday and Maisy gained 1/2 a pound. She is now 7lbs. 12 oz. and I hope that she is 8 lbs next Thursday when we go to see the cardiologist. I've noticed in the past few days that her cheeks are filling out a little more and she's got the slightest bit of fat on her upper thighs that is finally enough to give a little squeeze. HOORAY!!!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Three and Me
I just barely posted about savoring moments and wanted to blog anyway today about having three children. I know I've been blogging more lately, and I hope you all feel free to skip anything that bores you. I just wanted to journal a little bit about this transition.Three kids! How did we even get here? I love being a mother and love all of my children. I was really curious about how the transition to three kids would be and pictured myself blogging about it a week or two after Maisy was born. I guess I pictured myself doing that before all of the complications. For the first six weeks I hardly felt like I had three kids. Yes, I was going to the hospital daily. Yes, I was spending time with Gracie and Gunner, but I was never (or hardly ever with three kids all at once).
I guess the most surprising thing about having three kids for me has been how different it has all gone than I expected. Maisy is over 2 months (10 weeks on Thursday) and I have still not had to venture out by myself with all 3 kids. Maisy has been home for one month this week.Being quarantined has taken away any expectations I might have had for myself of still making it to play groups, doing singing time, handling 3 kids at church, or braving the grocery store. Having a winter baby also helps me feel more content to stay at home. Especially when it is too cold or too snowy to venture out anyway.
In addition, Maisy seems to be a little calmer than the average baby, probably because her heart wears her out. In short, I feel that my opinion of 3 kids not being such a hard transition could be attributed to all of these other factors. I like having three kids and am interested and terrified to see how it goes at church, the grocery store, and anywhere else. I'm also interested to see how bedtime, naptime, mealtime and other times go when I don't have Justin around helping me so much. Today is day 1 by myself though and it has gone pretty well. My two hardest chores seem to be pumping and getting laundry done. The older kids are playing well and Maisy is watching me blog.
I guess what I should have said from the beginning about having three kids is- ask me again when I have to load them all in the car and go somewhere. For now, I'll spend my days reading stories, practicing letter writing, blowing up balloons, trying to get more smiles and hope for the first belly laugh :)
I guess the most surprising thing about having three kids for me has been how different it has all gone than I expected. Maisy is over 2 months (10 weeks on Thursday) and I have still not had to venture out by myself with all 3 kids. Maisy has been home for one month this week.Being quarantined has taken away any expectations I might have had for myself of still making it to play groups, doing singing time, handling 3 kids at church, or braving the grocery store. Having a winter baby also helps me feel more content to stay at home. Especially when it is too cold or too snowy to venture out anyway.
In addition, Maisy seems to be a little calmer than the average baby, probably because her heart wears her out. In short, I feel that my opinion of 3 kids not being such a hard transition could be attributed to all of these other factors. I like having three kids and am interested and terrified to see how it goes at church, the grocery store, and anywhere else. I'm also interested to see how bedtime, naptime, mealtime and other times go when I don't have Justin around helping me so much. Today is day 1 by myself though and it has gone pretty well. My two hardest chores seem to be pumping and getting laundry done. The older kids are playing well and Maisy is watching me blog.
I guess what I should have said from the beginning about having three kids is- ask me again when I have to load them all in the car and go somewhere. For now, I'll spend my days reading stories, practicing letter writing, blowing up balloons, trying to get more smiles and hope for the first belly laugh :)
Life again
Justin went back to school today. (Booooo). Just kidding, we are glad that he is such a good student and that he has worked so hard. In fact, we can officially say today that he is starting the second half of his MBA/DVM program. 2.5 years down, 2.5 to go. GO JUSTIN!! I am so pleased with all he has done and Justin does well at seemingly everything because he isn't afraid to work hard.
He's still humble pie though. He refused to take a picture with the giant stack of notes his friend brought him. These are the notes that go through only the first tests of the semester for just the veterinary classes. YIKES! I should also explain that his friend that printed them included fewer slides per page, so it isn't a totally accurate representation (in Justin's mind) of how much they are really covering. To me, it is still mind boggling. Don't let him fool you, he still has learn and memorize insane amounts of information.Anyway, I might already be in trouble for bragging about him, but I am also proud of this milestone because I consider myself a student in this joint venture. GO MAGGIE! Ha ha. We really do love it in Fort Collins though and have been blessed to meet a lot of wonderful people. I'm not packing my bags yet, but we will be sad when we have to say goodbye to this experience. I have to remind myself to savor it all and enjoy this time while it lasts.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Baby Alive
My sister Flori made the joke about Gracie having her own "baby alive" at home. We are pretty used to Maisy's size by now, but I do notice that my heart stops a little every time I see Gracie or Gunner carrying a doll around and Maisy is not in my arms. I wish I would have gotten this comparison when Maisy was first born. She was 18.25 inches at birth.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
2 Months!
Maisy hit her 2 month mark yesterday. (I might have said she was 2 months at her 8 week mark last week, but this was the real deal). These were her stats on Monday
Weight:7lbs 5oz. (below 3%). FYI, Gunner was 7lbs.4oz at birth.
Height:20.5 inches (3%- she grew 1.5 inches since the week of Christmas)
Head Circumference: 14.5 inches (3%).
With Maisy's premature baby status, her IUGR (Intrauterine growth restriction), and her heart problems, I was really interested to know how the doctor thought she was doing developmentally. You would think I would know after having 2 kids, but I forget so much what they should be doing. He said that she is right on with all the other 2 month olds.
For my own records, Maisy is smiling more on demand and has been awake for longer periods. She is starting to take more regular naps rather than taking so many cat naps but is still not on a super defined schedule. She is sleeping in 4-6 hour stretches at night, which I think is pretty good for her size During the day she usually eats every 3 hours but I think we might start stretching it to 4. our little girl likes her baths and is still getting them in the bathroom sink. Maisy likes to be held a lot and we give into those requests because we feel so guilty that she wasn't held as much as we all would have liked while in the hospital.
Weight:7lbs 5oz. (below 3%). FYI, Gunner was 7lbs.4oz at birth.
Height:20.5 inches (3%- she grew 1.5 inches since the week of Christmas)
Head Circumference: 14.5 inches (3%).
With Maisy's premature baby status, her IUGR (Intrauterine growth restriction), and her heart problems, I was really interested to know how the doctor thought she was doing developmentally. You would think I would know after having 2 kids, but I forget so much what they should be doing. He said that she is right on with all the other 2 month olds.
For my own records, Maisy is smiling more on demand and has been awake for longer periods. She is starting to take more regular naps rather than taking so many cat naps but is still not on a super defined schedule. She is sleeping in 4-6 hour stretches at night, which I think is pretty good for her size During the day she usually eats every 3 hours but I think we might start stretching it to 4. our little girl likes her baths and is still getting them in the bathroom sink. Maisy likes to be held a lot and we give into those requests because we feel so guilty that she wasn't held as much as we all would have liked while in the hospital.
TWO!
Gunner just turned two this last weekend. It really wasn't that long ago and it is still weird when I think back on times in our lives when he wasn't with us yet. Gunner has been such a blessing in our family. He is a happy little boy and really fun to be around. He has excellent manners and I love how he remembers to say please and thank you on his own. Gunner loves his books and is really good at playing around the house and finding things to keep himself entertained. He is obsessed with cows and cowboys- which is fun to see him pick up naturally, even though we love to foster that interest.
Right now, Gunner has been such a sweet big brother. He is always asking where Maisy is and loves to give her hugs and kisses. Gunner is a Daddy's boy and loves to do anything with Justin. I think the top surprise that Gunner has brought this year is his cute curly hair. He gets so much attention from it everywhere we go. He also gets a lot of attention from the people sitting around us at church from his silly behavior. I see people laughing almost every time Justin or I take him out of the meeting. Some other memorable moments were his 2 black eyes, learning how to talk,run, walk and climb, and moving to a big bed.
Good Times at the "Oh Cake" CorralHere is Gunner's cake. I had fun making it, and was pretty proud of myself when it actually came together. In case you can't tell, it is 4 horses eating hay in a corral :) I told my mom that it's a good thing I've got a blog or I might not have gone to the trouble of making a special cake. We had a quiet celebration, but it was a lot of fun.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Brotherly Love
I kept Gunner and Maisy home from church on Sunday. Our doctors haven't given us a lot of restrictions, but we've been warned that Maisy is at greater risk for pneumonia than even the average small baby because her lungs are more wet from her heart condition. We are trying to be extra careful and will probably stay somewhat quarantined for awhile. Hard for all of us, but we would hate so see a small baby with pneumonia, RSV, or some other yucky bug. As much as I loved the hospital- No, thank you.
We've even limited the kids quite a bit and have been really careful about them getting very close. When they do, we ALWAYS make them use hand sanitizer, which we bought in bulk after Maisy was born. That said, I do love the moments when the kids are able to get a little closer to their sister. Gunner was so excited to lay next to Maisy and read her a little story. She seemed to enjoy it quite a bit too!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
The Love of a Family
Two weeks ago, we were driving to the hospital to pick up Maisy. I was a bit of a mess. I cried almost the entire way down.The doctors had given us the go-ahead to take her home that day, but her weight gain had been minimal over the past few nights. My mind was swirling with doubts. Was our baby really going to gain weight at home? I felt sick at the thought of having to take her back to the hospital if she did not do well at home.
For six weeks, Maisy had been surrounded by medical professionals, scientific formulas about what needed to happen for her to grow, and was monitored for 24 hours a day to check her oxygen, respiratory rate and heart rate. I wanted to bring my baby home more than anything, but was terrified and wondered how I was better qualified in her care if nobody else could get her to grow or eat. Justin and I actually called Maisy's pediatric cardiologist to see if she shouldn't just get surgery after all. He said he really felt good about her coming home.
Once Maisy got home, it didn't take long.She finally had siblings wrestling in earshot, warm snuggles all day long, and nurses who didn't have any other patients. 2 days later, at her first weigh in since coming home, she had gained 2 ounces- a better average than she had at the hospital. 2 days after that, we were able to remove her nasal-gastric (NG) tube because she was eating everything she needed to and more by mouth for the first time in her life.On Tuesday, we went to the cardiologist. Maisy is up to 7lbs. even. A little crazy, because she is seeming so big these days and hasn't reached the birth weight of either of our kids. She's getting close though and she is 8 weeks old today! Dr. Brescia, the cardiologist, said that she looks great and that they want to wait at least another month to do surgery and let her keep gaining weight. The bigger the better! We also feel good about waiting and are excited that she is growing. Our doctors and all of our medical providers have been excellent and we have appreciated their genuine concern and willingness to answer all of our questions and address any concerns.
I've learned in the past few weeks, however, that the love of a family and the power that love has for good cannot be underestimated. We are so happy to have Maisy home with us and are even happier to see her thriving in our care.
For six weeks, Maisy had been surrounded by medical professionals, scientific formulas about what needed to happen for her to grow, and was monitored for 24 hours a day to check her oxygen, respiratory rate and heart rate. I wanted to bring my baby home more than anything, but was terrified and wondered how I was better qualified in her care if nobody else could get her to grow or eat. Justin and I actually called Maisy's pediatric cardiologist to see if she shouldn't just get surgery after all. He said he really felt good about her coming home.
Once Maisy got home, it didn't take long.She finally had siblings wrestling in earshot, warm snuggles all day long, and nurses who didn't have any other patients. 2 days later, at her first weigh in since coming home, she had gained 2 ounces- a better average than she had at the hospital. 2 days after that, we were able to remove her nasal-gastric (NG) tube because she was eating everything she needed to and more by mouth for the first time in her life.On Tuesday, we went to the cardiologist. Maisy is up to 7lbs. even. A little crazy, because she is seeming so big these days and hasn't reached the birth weight of either of our kids. She's getting close though and she is 8 weeks old today! Dr. Brescia, the cardiologist, said that she looks great and that they want to wait at least another month to do surgery and let her keep gaining weight. The bigger the better! We also feel good about waiting and are excited that she is growing. Our doctors and all of our medical providers have been excellent and we have appreciated their genuine concern and willingness to answer all of our questions and address any concerns.
I've learned in the past few weeks, however, that the love of a family and the power that love has for good cannot be underestimated. We are so happy to have Maisy home with us and are even happier to see her thriving in our care.
Christmas Day
Our Christmas was so full of love. Maybe it was finally having our sweet baby with us, or the thoughtful gifts that were sent by loved ones, or being surrounded by those we love. Having a new baby around always helps me relate to the Christmas story more closely. Whatever it was, it was wonderful and we felt blessed.
We hadn't spent Christmas with Justin's family since 2006 when Gracie was Maisy's age and we were back at BYU. I guess a lot has happened since then. We stayed in Colorado in 2008 because Gunner was due in a few weeks. Needless to say, it was refreshing to be with family and we thought of and loved all those who weren't with us too.
Yummy breakfast by Larry.
It finally feels like we really have 3 kids, now that they are all together.
The kids loved opening presents and we loved watching them. My two favorite moments- Gracie opening her first present, a book, and asking me to read the book to her before opening the rest of her presents. I love it when they take time to be thankful for each gift. The next was Gunner opening his cowboy hat. He was SOOOO excited and has rarely let it out of his sight since. Our poor boy couldn't figure out how to take a nap with his cowboy hat on but couldn't bear to take it off.My parents made these little banks with slots for tithing, mission, and savings for all of the grandchildren. They were patterned after banks my grandpa made for us when we were young.
Skyping with the rest of the family,later that day.
We hadn't spent Christmas with Justin's family since 2006 when Gracie was Maisy's age and we were back at BYU. I guess a lot has happened since then. We stayed in Colorado in 2008 because Gunner was due in a few weeks. Needless to say, it was refreshing to be with family and we thought of and loved all those who weren't with us too.
Yummy breakfast by Larry.
It finally feels like we really have 3 kids, now that they are all together.
The kids loved opening presents and we loved watching them. My two favorite moments- Gracie opening her first present, a book, and asking me to read the book to her before opening the rest of her presents. I love it when they take time to be thankful for each gift. The next was Gunner opening his cowboy hat. He was SOOOO excited and has rarely let it out of his sight since. Our poor boy couldn't figure out how to take a nap with his cowboy hat on but couldn't bear to take it off.My parents made these little banks with slots for tithing, mission, and savings for all of the grandchildren. They were patterned after banks my grandpa made for us when we were young.
Skyping with the rest of the family,later that day.
Dashing through the snow...
Shortly after we arrived in Billings, we headed over to a ward building where President Jorden (one of Larry's counselor's in the mission presidency) had brought his draft horses and carts. They had invited anyone who wanted to go for a Christmas Eve ride up and down a Christmas street nearby. The ride was complete with an ipod playing Christmas music and singing "sleigh ride". Carol Ann and Maisy were at home getting better acquainted.
Monday, January 3, 2011
A Christmas Surprise
We surprised ourselves and Justin's parents by traveling up to Billings, Montana for Christmas. Maisy had a doctor's appointment a few days before Christmas and they said how good she looks (she was up to 6lbs.5 oz). We could see she was thriving at home as well, so we packed up our Christmas and too many bags and headed up to Billings to see Justin's parents. We almost lost our nerve, but we headed up on Christmas Eve.
It was a smooth trip up, and if you'll notice, Maisy's nasal-gastric tube is gone. By Christmas Eve she hit her 48 hour mark of eating everything she needed to by mouth. We are so proud of her and I can't get enough pictures of her tube free nose. She looks so much healthier with it gone.
Meeting Grandma for the first time.Kim and Gunner, shortly after we arrived.
The picture we all coveted- Maisy smiling with Camille.A small taste of our nativity. Granddad made a great donkey, Gracie was a great Mary, Maisy was a great baby Jesus, and Gunner was MIA as Joseph (as you can see in the background).
It was a smooth trip up, and if you'll notice, Maisy's nasal-gastric tube is gone. By Christmas Eve she hit her 48 hour mark of eating everything she needed to by mouth. We are so proud of her and I can't get enough pictures of her tube free nose. She looks so much healthier with it gone.
Meeting Grandma for the first time.Kim and Gunner, shortly after we arrived.
The picture we all coveted- Maisy smiling with Camille.A small taste of our nativity. Granddad made a great donkey, Gracie was a great Mary, Maisy was a great baby Jesus, and Gunner was MIA as Joseph (as you can see in the background).
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